Garment



(No Mot lei.)

A.H.DEVOE.

GARMENT.

No. 597,398. Patented Jan.'18, 1898.

Wzlines'sesx- Inventor I AZberZflDe Doe ATENT @rrrcs.

ALBERT H. DEVOE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

GARM ENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 597,398, dated January 18, 1898.

Application filed December 14, 1896. Serial No. 615,659. [No model.)

To (tZZ whom it ntay concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT H. Dnvos, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Garments, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in the manufacture of garments, especially to a lap-fell seam designed to connect the gathered edge of the sleeve with the yoke, to connect a ruffle at the lower edge of a skirt or other garment, or to be used generally in the manufacture of light as well as heavy clothing made from light fabrics to cloth and woolen goods.

The invention consists in the parts shown in the drawings, described in the specification, and more specifically pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective View of the outer side of a small section of a skirt having a lower band and also a rnflie connected therewith by my improved seam; Fig. 2, a similar view of the same, showing the inner side thereof; Fig. 3, a cross-section in diagrammatic form of the fell-seam with the several pieces loosely folded and put together; Fig. 4, a View similar to Fig. 3, showing the inner pieces Without the inner fold at its edge; Fig. 5, a view similar to Fig. 3 with the edge of the inner piece turned inwardly, and Fig. 6 a section of the form of the seam shown in Fig. 3 with the several parts closely united with a double line of stitches.

The seam consists of the lower edge a of a skirt A and the gathered edge I? of a ruffle B, folded in opposite directions at their edges 0. and h, respectively, to form inter-lapping folds, the skirt A being provided with an outer fold a and the ruffle B being provided with an inward fold l), the said folds being placed to project one'beyond the other to lie in the same plane.

The band C is preferably made of a strip of cainbric out either straight or biased, the latter being preferred as a binding where edges or curves are to be turned. The bindin g-strip having raw edges will answer equally well for this purpose and is much less expensive.

The band C is creased and folded at its edges 0' and 0 both outwardly in the same direction toward each other, the inner-edge fold c passing around the upper edge and fold Z) of the rufile B and the edge fold c of the band C being folded to come opposite the edge a of the skirt A in such a manner that a line of stitches d may be passed through the outer fold c edge a of the skirt, and through the body material of the ruffle, while a second line of stitches cl is preferably passed through the outer'fold c and skirt A in Fig. 6 of the drawings.

The raw edge of the ruliie may be left fiat or unfolded, as shown in Fig. 4' of the drawings, the folded edge of the band in this case serving to fill out or balance the correspondiug and interlocking fold a of the skirt, and when a thick or heavily-gathered material is used the seam thus formed will be sufficien tly strong and will be less bulky than when the edge is folded, as shown in Fig. lhe fold c of the binding or band C may terminate outside of the fold a of the skirt, as shown. in Fig. 4, or it may be continued or tucked in sufficiently to underlie the fold a of said skirt or of a corresponding piece to be connected therewith, and the folded edge I) of the ruffle may be folded outwardly to meet the fold c of the band C, as shown in Fig. 5,

the edges of the band being sewed down with parallel lines of stitches.

It is apparentthat the yoke and gathered edge of the sleeve of a garment may be securely connected in the manner above described for connecting the skirt and rufile.

The fell-seam thus described may be all done by hand, or it may be done better with a doubleneedle sewing-machine, a speciallydesigned fell-seam binding attachment being employed in connection therewith.

A braid has heretofore been used to cover the back of a fell-seam and reinforce it, one edge of the tape being first stitched on and the adjacent edge of the connecting-piece of material being tucked under the band by hand as the second row of stitches is made through the tape. This way of forming the seam has not been secure or satisfactory because the edge of the material is at times pushed too far under the tape, especially when it is stitched on at one time with a double-needle machine, and the raw edge of said material projects beyond the tape and makes a ragged seam. The operator therefore becomes overcautious at times and does not tuck the edge of the material a sufficient distance under the tape for the stitches to take asecure hold upon the material. A very much stronger, more compact, and inexpensive seam may be thus made as quickly as could any ordinary fell-seam covered with a tape, and when used upon light material it will not be bulky or noticeable over the ordinary seam, but will be practically stronger at the seam than at the body of the material.

A fell-seam made as herein described does away with hand-felling or tailor-made goods.

It is done by machine with one operation. It

has two or more rows of stitches where one has been used in somewhat similar seams. It acts as an inner covering and reinforcement for the seam, which protects the seam from wear that would otherwise come on the raw edge and unravel the material, thus breaking the seam, and virtually takes the strain instead of the seam.

My improved fell-seam is especially designed for seams which may be made with one operation upon a sewing-machine and all inner seams that require a smooth reinforced lap-fell seamsuch as shirts, shirt-waists of delicate material, Wrappers, or coats, pants, overalls, and jacketsand, in fact, in the manufacture of wearing-apparel generally requiring a strong seam.

The seam, though requiring numerous folds, is well adapted for heavy goods, cloths, and tailor-made clothing, and garments thus made are proof against ripping.

I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The combination in a garment, of the fabric strips comprising two sections of the garment having lapped edges, the outer strip being folded inwardly and a reinforcing-band folded at one of its edges opposite the fold of the outer strip and also folded to interlap with lapped portions of both strips and em- I brace the edge of the inner strip and lines of stitches connecting the said reinforcing-band and both of said strips, substantially as described.

2; The combination in a garment, of the fabric strips comprisingtwo sections of the garment having lapped and folded edges and a reinforcing-band folded at its edges to overlie the fold of the outer strip and embrace the fold of the inner strip and lines of stitches to secure both of its edges to said pieces, substantially as described. 7

3. The combination in a garment of the fabric strips comprising two sections of the garment having lapped edges, the outer strip being folded inwardly and a reinforcing-band folded at both of its edges opposite the fold of the outer strip and also folded to embrace the edge of the inner strip, a row of stitches passing through both of the folds, the band In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALBERT H. DEVOE.

lVitnesses:

W. H. ROWE, V. A. CARROLL. 

